Wiper device

ABSTRACT

The invention is based on a wiper system with at least one wiper support ( 10, 12, 14, 16 ), which, in a pre-mounted state, has a part ( 18 ) that is guided through a mounting opening ( 20 ) of a vehicle and is fastened to it.  
     The proposal is made that while being mounted, the wiper support ( 10, 12, 14, 16 ) rests against the rim of the mounting opening ( 20 ), tilts under the influence of gravity and as a result, is held in the mounting opening ( 20 ) with frictional, non-positive engagement and/or positive engagement.

PRIOR ART

[0001] The invention is based on a wiper system according to thepreamble to claim 1.

[0002] Usually a wiper drive mechanism of a wiper system, by way of arod assembly, drives one or a number of drive shafts that are supportedin wiper supports and have wipers attached to them. The drive shaftsprotrude out from openings of a vehicle body and move the wipers over awindshield of the motor vehicle. In order to be able to favorably mountthe individual components or pre-mounted subassemblies of the wipersystem onto the vehicle body, preferably the wiper drive mechanism, rodassembly, wiper supports, and drive shafts are pre-mounted onto amounting plate.

[0003] The pre-mounted wiper system is correspondingly positioned andfastened to the vehicle body. Usually the wiper supports are guidedthrough assembly openings that can be either let directly into thevehicle body or let into additional mounting plates. Then, the wipersupports are screw-mounted to the vehicle body or the mounting platewith a central nut.

[0004] Additional securing points are produced in the vehicle body inorder to support the mounting. Due to the limited mounting space, theseare difficult to lay out and are usually insufficient to completely andreliably secure the wiper system. Therefore while being mounted, thewiper system must be held in the appropriate position with one handwhile the wiper supports must be fastened to the mounting plates withthe other hand. Furthermore, the securing plates represent additionalcomponents which must be correspondingly disposed and integrated intothe vehicle body, which is connected with additional expenses.

ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

[0005] The invention is based on the knowledge that the wiper supportsin the mounting openings tilt under the influence of the gravitationalforce of the wiper system and are consequently wedged in the mountingopenings so that they do not easily fall out again up to the end of theassembly, particularly when the mounting opening is only slightly largerin diameter than the support diameter of the wiper supports.

[0006] According to the invention, the tilting motion can furthermore beused to secure the wiper supports in the mounting openings with positiveengagement by virtue of the fact that when tilted, positive engagementelements are brought into a holding position behind the mountingopening. Such positive engagement elements can be suitably embodied by ashoulder on the circumference of the wiper support, which engages behindthe mounting opening when the wiper support is tilted.

[0007] The completely or only partially pre-mounted wiper system is slidwith the wiper support through the mounting opening, the force ofgravity tilts the wiper support in the mounting opening around a supportedge, by means of which the wiper support, with its region disposedopposite from the support edge, comes into contact with the rim of themounting opening. The wiper system is reliably and precisely fixedduring further mounting. An assembler can use both hands for the furtherattachment without having to hold the wiper system with one hand. Themounting therefore becomes simpler, faster, more reliable, morecomfortable for the assembler, and therefore becomes more reasonablypriced on the whole. Additional securing devices and their assembly areno longer necessary.

[0008] Furthermore, the securing device can be easily and quicklydetached during disassembly by virtue of the fact that the wiper systemis lifted up counter to the tilting moment and the positive engagementand/or frictional, non-positive engagement is thereby released. Now, thewiper supports can be withdrawn from the mounting openings withoutthereby damaging components or having to use additional holding devices.

[0009] It is particularly advantageous if the wiper support has ashoulder on its outer circumference by way of which the wiper system canbe supported counter to the mounting direction after the wiper supportis slid into the mounting opening and is then wedged or engages indetent fashion.

[0010] The shoulder can be constituted by a collar that is fastened tothe wiper support or is embodied of one piece with it, or can beconstituted by a rim of a circumferential groove.

[0011] As a rule, it is sufficient for the shoulder to extend over onlya part of the circumference of the wiper support in the vicinity of thetilting edge and/or in the diametrically opposite region. If the wipersupport is inserted into the mounting opening off-center and is thencentered in the mounting opening, shoulders that protrude from thecircumference contour of the wiper support overlap the rim of themounting opening and consequently produce a positive engagement whichsupports and secures the frictional, non-positive engagement that isproduced by the gravity-induced tilting moment.

[0012] According to one embodiment of the invention, after a protrudingshoulder is slid off-center through the mounting opening, the wipersupport is centered in the mounting opening through the use of acentering ring and as a result, the protrusion is slid past the rim ofthe mounting opening. The wiper support is thus secured with positiveengagement in the mounting opening before the wiper support is tilted,which prevents the danger of the wiper support slipping out from themounting opening. Furthermore, the protruding shoulders can be disposedin arbitrary circumference regions of the wiper support.

[0013] An elastic centering ring is particularly advantageous whichdeforms upon insertion and then centers the wiper support by means ofits elastic resilience and at the same time, slides the protrudingshoulder in the mounting direction past the rim of the mounting openingand holds it in this position. The wiper support is secured in themounting opening by the centering ring.

[0014] Preferably the mounting plate, e.g. a tubular mounting plate, issupported in the mounting direction on the rim of the mounting openingby way of a support collar on the wiper support and by way of an annulardamping element on the support collar. The damping element is usuallymade of an elastic material and is normally installed between thevehicle body and the wiper system in order to prevent vibrations andnoise from being transmitted from the component to the vehicle body.

[0015] According to one embodiment of the invention, the damping elementis simultaneously embodied as a centering ring. The centering ring isthus advantageously made of elastic material and furthermore, anadditional component can be eliminated. It is also possible that theprotrusion is embodied by the damping element or centering ring that isfastened to the wiper support, for example by means of a tension ring oranother fastener.

[0016] The wiper support usually has a tubular, cast outer part intowhich a support sleeve for the drive shaft is inserted. The protrusioncan thus be easily cast onto the outer part in the form of one or anumber of projections or in the form of a recess, by means of whichadditional components are eliminated. It is also possible that aprojection is attached in a subsequent process, for example by means ofpositive engagement, frictional non-positive engagement, and/or materialadhesion or that a recess is subsequently produced, for example by meansof milling, etc.

[0017] In order to prevent body noise, in particular from the wiperdrive mechanism, from being transmitted to the rim of the mountingopening or to the vehicle body by way of the wiper supports and theprotruding shoulder, the shoulder is spaced apart from the rim of themounting opening after the mounting is complete. The shoulder isencircled by a spacer ring, which bridges over the distance between therim of the mounting opening and the central fastening nut and has adamping coating toward the mounting plate. The spacer ring can also beembodied of one piece with the fastening nut.

[0018] In order to prevent the vehicle body panel from being damagedduring mounting and removal, in another embodiment, the wiper supportcan be completely or partially covered with plastic or a softermaterial, particularly in the vicinity of the protrusion. It is alsopossible for the projection or even the entire outer part of the wipersupport to be comprised of softer material, for example plastic.

[0019] Moreover, a frictional connection can be supported by acorresponding coating of the wiper support. For example, with asufficiently soft coating, a combination between frictional and positiveengagement can also be produced by virtue of the fact that the rim ofthe mounting opening digs into the coating.

[0020] The active lever arm that is applied by gravity decreases withthe inclination angle of the wiper support to the mounting opening. As aresult, the frictional, non-positive engagement and the a perpendicularforce exerted on the rim by the wiper support are reduced. The proposalis made for the mounting opening to be only slightly larger than thegreatest external diameter of the wiper support to be guided through themounting opening, by means of which a positive and/or frictional,non-positive connection can be achieved with a small inclination angle,which connection has high perpendicular forces and a secure hold.

DRAWINGS

[0021] Exemplary embodiments of the invention are depicted in thedrawings. Numerous features are shown and described in context in thedescription and in the claims. One skilled in the art can also take thefeatures into consideration individually and can combine them into othermeaningful combinations.

[0022]FIG. 1 shows a wiper system,

[0023]FIG. 2 shows a section along the line II-II in FIG. 1, through theouter part of the wiper support during mounting,

[0024]FIG. 3 shows a wiper support according to FIG. 2 when secured,

[0025]FIG. 4 shows a wiper support according to FIG. 2, with a centeringring during mounting,

[0026]FIG. 5 shows a wiper support according to FIG. 4, when slid in,

[0027]FIG. 6 shows a section through a wiper support, with a recess whensecured, and

[0028]FIG. 7 shows a section through a wiper support, which is securedby means of frictional, non-positive engagement.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

[0029]FIG. 1 shows a wiper system with a mounting plate in the form of atubular mounting plate 46, to which a wiper drive mechanism 86 and twowiper supports 10, 12 are attached. With cylindrical fastening parts 48,50, the wiper supports 10, 12 are laterally press-fitted in an oversizedfashion into the tubular mounting plate 46 or the tubular mounting plate46 is crimped in the vicinity of the fastening parts 48, 50. Driveshafts 52, 54 are supported in the wiper supports 10, 12 and are drivenby the wiper drive mechanism 86 by way of a crank 56 and a joint ball 58on the wiper drive mechanism 86, by way of a rod assembly that is notshown in detail, and respectively via a crank 60, 62 and a joint ball64, 66 on the wiper support 10, 12.

[0030] With the mounting of the wiper system, the drive shafts 52, 54and a part 18 of the wiper support 10, 12 are slid through a mountingopening 20 in a mounting plate 68 so that the drive shafts 52, 54protrude out from the mounting opening 20 on the vehicle body (FIG. 3).Instead of being let into a mounting plate 68, the mounting opening 20can also be let directly into the vehicle body. On the part 18 of thewiper support 10, 12 that is slid through, there is a thread onto whicha central nut 90 is screwed from the ends of the drive shafts 52, 54(FIG. 5). The wiper supports 10, 12 are thus pulled into the mountingopenings 20 until support collars 70 disposed on the outer circumferenceof the wiper supports 10, 12 are supported in the mounting direction 32against the mounting plate 68 by means of a damping element 72. Then,wipers that are not shown are attached to the drive shafts 52, 54.

[0031] The gravitational force of the wiper system and in particular ofthe wiper drive mechanism 86 acts in the direction 24 by way of a leverarm 22 on the wiper supports 10, 12 that have been slid into themounting openings 20, as indicated in FIGS. 2 and 5. The resultingmoment is used according to the invention to secure the wiper support10, 12, 14, 16 in the mounting opening 20 and thereby the wiper systemwith positive engagement or with frictional engagement until the wipersystem is screwed to the vehicle body (FIGS. 1 to 7).

[0032]FIG. 2 shows a section along the line II-II in FIG. 1 through theouter part of the wiper support 10 into which a support sleeve for thedrive shaft 52 can be inserted. A projection 36 is cast onto the outercircumference of the wiper support 10 on one side, by means of which aprotruding shoulder 26 is formed. The mounting opening 20 is onlyminimally larger than the greatest diameter 40 of the wiper support 10to be guided through the mounting opening 20, in the region of theprojection 36, so that the wiper support 10 has to be introduced intothe mounting opening 20 off-center. Furthermore, the axial distance 76between the damping element 72 and the projection 36 is only slightlygreater than the material thickness 78 of the mounting plate 68. Whenthe wiper support 10 has been inserted and centered, the projection 36overlaps the rim 30 of the mounting opening 20 (FIG. 3). The wipersupport 10 is placed against the support collar 70 and tilts under theinfluence of gravity so that the projection 36 is now supported on therim 30 of the mounting opening 20. Even with a slight inclination angle74 and a small moment, the wiper support 10 is securely held in themounting opening 20 with positive engagement. It is also possible thatthe wiper support 10 is not supported with the support collar 70 or thedamping element 72 on the rim 30 of the mounting opening 20, but issupported directly on the circumference, as shown in FIG. 6.

[0033] Since in the centered position of the wiper support 10, theprojection 36 overlaps the rim 30, the wiper support 10 is particularlyassured of not slipping out of the mounting opening 20.

[0034] After the wiper support 10 is securely held in the mountingopening 20, it can be completely screwed into position in the mountingopening 20 by means of a nut 90 and a thread on the end 88 of the wipersupport 10 that points in the mounting direction 32. Thereby, the wipersupport 10 is pulled against the mounting plate 68 with the dampingelement 72 resting against the support collar 70. The wiper support 10is thereby aligned perpendicular to the mounting opening 20. Theprojection 36 is detached from the rim 30 of the mounting opening 20,which results in the fact that body noise is not transmitted from thewiper system to the mounting plate 68 and to the vehicle body by way ofthe wiper support 10 and the projection 36 (FIG. 5). A spacer ring 94with a damping coating 96 is provided between the nut 90 and themounting plate 68 and bridges over the distance between thesecomponents.

[0035] When being removed, the wiper support 10 can simply be pulledperpendicularly and eccentrically out from the mounting opening 20without components having to be destroyed or additional fastening partshaving to be detached.

[0036] In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, a centeringring 34 is disposed on the support collar 70 and simultaneously is adamping element. If the wiper support 10 is introduced into the mountingopening 20, an elastic deformation occurs on the side of the centeringring 34 disposed opposite from the projection 36. Once the wiper support10 has been inserted, the centering ring 34 returns to its initial shapeand thereby centers the wiper support 10 in the mounting opening 20(FIG. 5). The projection 36 is slid by the elastic resilience of thecentering ring 34 over the rim 30 of the mounting opening 20. The wipersupport 10 is securely held in the mounting opening 20 by the elasticresilience before the wiper support 10 is tilted by the moment, whichproduces a particularly secure positive engagement. Fundamentally, it isalso possible for the wiper support 10 to be held in the mountingopening 20 solely by the elastically deformable centering ring 34.

[0037] The further mounting is the same as with the wiper support 10shown in FIG. 1. FIG. 5 shows the position of the wiper support 10 inrelation to the mounting plate 68 when completely mounted. With thewiper support 14 shown in FIG. 6, instead of being formed by aprojection 36, a shoulder 28 is formed by the rim of a recess 38 that iscast into the wiper support, in which the rim 30 of the mounting opening20 engages with positive fit. On the end disposed opposite from therecess 38, the wiper support 14 is supported with its outercircumference against the rim of the mounting opening 20. The mountingopening 20 is only slightly larger than the diameter 42 of the wipersupport 14, which achieves a secure positive engagement with a smallinclination angle.

[0038] The wiper support 16 depicted in FIG. 7 is held in the mountingopening 20 by means of frictional engagement. The mounting plate 68 isusually thin and sharp-edged and the surface of the wiper support 16 isrough, which produces a secure frictional engagement.

[0039] The further the wiper support 16 in the mounting opening 20 istilted, the smaller the lever arm 22 via which gravity acts on the wipersupport 16 (FIG. 2) and the smaller a perpendicular force 80, 82 actingbetween the wiper support 16 and the rim 30 of the mounting opening 20.However, sharp-edged corners of the rim 30 of the mounting opening 20engage more favorably in the surface of the wiper support 16 the furtherthe wiper support 16 in the mounting opening 20 is tilted.

[0040] The diameter 44 of the wiper support 16 and the diameter 84 ofthe mounting opening 20 are matched to each other so that the bestpossible frictional engagement is achieved.

1. A wiper system with at least one wiper support (10, 12, 14, 16),which, in a pre-mounted state, has a part (18) that is guided through amounting opening (20) of a vehicle and is fastened to it, characterizedin that while being mounted, the wiper support (10, 12, 14, 16) restsagainst the rim of the mounting opening (20), tilts under the influenceof gravity and as a result, is held in the mounting opening (20) withfrictional, non-positive engagement and/or positive engagement.
 2. Thewiper system according to claim 1, characterized in that the wipersupport (10, 12, 14) has a shoulder (26, 28) on the circumference, whichengages behind the mounting opening (20) when the wiper support (10, 12,14) tilts.
 3. The wiper system according to claim 2, characterized inthat the shoulder (26, 28) extends over only a part of thecircumference, projecting beyond the circumference contour and that inthe centered position of the wiper support (10, 12), the protrusion (26,28) overlaps the rim (30) of the mounting opening (20).
 4. The wipersystem according to claim 4, characterized in that when the wipersupport (10, 12) tilts, the shoulder (26, 28) is pressed against the rim(30) of the mounting opening (20).
 5. The wiper system according toclaim 3 or 4, characterized in that the wiper support (10, 12) iscentered in the mounting opening (20) by means of a centering ring (34).6. The wiper system according to claim 5, characterized in that thecentering ring (34) is embodied of one piece with a damping element andis made of elastic material.
 7. The wiper system according to one ofclaims 3 to 6, characterized in that the shoulder (26) is constituted byat least one projection (36) that is affixed to the wiper support (10,12).
 8. The wiper system according to claim 2, characterized in that theshoulder (28) is constituted by a rim of a recess (38) on thecircumference of the wiper support (14).
 9. The wiper system accordingto one of claims 2 to 9, characterized in that the shoulder (26, 28) isformed onto the wiper support (10, 12, 14).
 10. The wiper systemaccording to one of the preceding claims, characterized in that whenmounted, the protrusion (26, 28) is spaced apart from the rim (30) ofthe mounting opening (20).
 11. The wiper system according to one of thepreceding claims, characterized in that the wiper support (10, 12, 14,16) is completely or partially covered with plastic on the outside. 13.The wiper system according to one of the preceding claims, characterizedin that the mounting opening (20) is only slightly larger than thegreatest diameter (40, 42, 44) of the wiper support (10, 12, 14, 16) tobe guided through the mounting opening (20).